Heartache Tonight
by berrywarbler
Summary: <html><head></head>Rachel desperately needed a prom date, and Kurt knew who to call. Of course, Blaine would have been more than willing to go in Jesse's place.  Prom!Fic, Klaine, St. Berry focused but pretty much every  canon  pairing mentioned.</html>
1. Welcome Back

Prom was that magical high school moment girls dreamed about since they were 4. It was almost more important than their wedding days. For girls like Quinn, the dream included a tiara and an entire student body of adoring fans. For Rachel, the fans and applause would come later in life.

All she really wanted for prom was a boy to dance with and tell her she looked pretty and genuinely mean it.

Of course, finding a prom date was becoming increasingly difficult. Finn was still the object of her affection, and unfortunately Quinn was still the object of his. But that wasn't enough to deter Rachel of the ultimate high school dance. After all, they were only juniors. Quinn could take him to this prom, but Rachel had a feeling next year it would be her turn to be on Finn's arm, grinning as he tried horribly to dance. She would wait.

But it seemed like everyone else had a date-Brittany had Artie, Santana had whoever she was dating that week, Kurt had Blaine, Tina and Mike. Blaine had even been courteous enough to set Mercedes up with a boy from Dalton, apparently not thinking enough to get someone for Rachel.

"Blind dates are stupid anyways," she reminded herself as she crossed Puck's name off her list of eligible suitors. She briefly considered Sam, wondering if maybe they could start a whirl wind romance, but ended up crossing his name off too, deciding if Santana or Quinn wanted him back she wasn't going to stand in their way.

She scrolled through her phone, her entire list now crossed off. She paused around _Jesse St. James, _remembering briefly of an era where she thought he would come back from UCLA and take her to her prom, before continuing down the list.

"Maybe I should just stay home and practice for Nationals," she said quietly to herself, putting her phone down on the bed next to her and curling her arms around her legs. The only thing more depressing than skipping prom was going by herself. And even Rachel Berry wasn't about to stoop that low.

* * *

><p>"So, I got this dress that's absolutely <em>gorgeous<em>," Mercedes prattled as they had their weekly coffee date with Kurt and Blaine.

"It is actually quite stunning," Kurt agreed, and Blaine just chortled in agreement.

"I'm sure it looks fabulous. William is quite excited about your date," he told her, glancing at Rachel while she stirred her tea with a straw for something to do.

"Well, he better be ready to handle all this," Mercedes joked, and the group laughed.

"I should get going," Rachel said, her voice monotonous as she stood, grabbing her backpack.

"Are you okay?" Kurt finally asked, and she just nodded.

"Of course, just have an early ballet practice today. Don't want to be late," she answered back, not meeting his eyes. "I'll see you guys later," she waved and headed towards the exit, holding her head high. She was sure she heard Blaine ask the other two what was going on with her, but she was out the door before she could overhear their response.

_After this weekend, _she thought bitterly as she crossed the parking lot to her car, _all the talk of Prom will be over._

* * *

><p>She sat through the days in almost a trance she had seemed to set up for herself. She was 10 times more obnoxious in Glee rehearsals, making sure everyone was learning the dance steps, getting the correct pitch for the songs. She finished two of her papers that weren't due until the end of the year. She declined Kurt's invitation to a dinner party at his house where Mercedes was going to officially meet William so they would have somewhat of a friendship before Saturday night.<p>

Finn tried to cheer her up Friday afternoon, and she smiled for him just like always. But then Quinn swooped in and stole him away and she was left by herself while they made plans for their date the next night.

"Rachel," Kurt said through the phone later that night. "You should at least come help us get ready, have some fun."

"I am having fun! I have planned a very activity filled weekend," and she heard him snort in response.

"Studying for the SAT's for four hours and then spending the rest of your time in the ballet studio isn't activity filled, its avoidance."

Rachel fumed silently. "Well, avoidance or not, I am busy. Have a pleasant time with Blaine and everyone else. I will see you Monday," she retorted finally before hanging up.

* * *

><p>"It's bad," Kurt said after Rachel hung up on him. "She's probably sitting in her room moping and feeling bad for herself." Blaine chewed on his lip guiltily. He had a weird-he wouldn't call it a <em>thing <em>because he was with Kurt and he loved him, but he wasn't sure what to call it. A soft spot, he supposed. He had a soft spot for Rachel. And he had originally offered to set her up too, Wes had broken up with his girlfriend and if anyone could handle Rachel Berry it was probably him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Wes?" Blaine offered again, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Dear god, no. Both of them at prom? Disaster would strike within minutes. If they even made it that far," Kurt replied, sitting down on the couch next to Blaine.

"We could always find someone else for her?" Blaine suggested. He felt horrible that Rachel would be sitting at home miserable instead of enjoying her own prom. He would have even suggested taking her himself if he didn't think Kurt would murder them both in their sleep, especially after their kiss. He wondered, once again, if that was really the reason Kurt didn't want Blaine setting her up. He didn't like to talk about Blaine's brief stint with Rachel, but Blaine knew Kurt well enough to know that it displeased him a lot to see Rachel once again get the boy of Kurt's affections.

"No, if she wants to sit at home and mope because Finn-" Kurt glanced towards the stairs where his step brother was hiding out, playing xbox until Quinn would storm in and demand some other ridiculous thing of him, "realizes that Quinn is a bitch, then let her."

Blaine sat in silence, not wanting to get into a fight with Kurt about this. "But," he argued softly, trying to keep his voice steady," how would you feel if it was you sitting at home for prom instead of her?'

Kurt opened his mouth and closed it. There were few times he was speechless, and Blaine knew he was one of a select few who carried the ability. "Touché ," he finally answered, standing up. "Fine, I have a solution. But I'm pretty sure this won't end well, so don't say I didn't warn you." Blaine raised an eyebrow, skeptical but quiet once more. "Can you go finish setting the table before Mercedes and William get here? The nice plates are in the top cabinet. I have to go make a phone call I was really hoping to avoid," he sighed, picking up his phone from where he had placed it on the arm of the couch.

Blaine smiled, "Thank you," he mouthed before heading to the kitchen. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him that Rachel was there, but he knew that the night wouldn't be the same without her.

* * *

><p>Rachel was sitting at her kitchen table sulking at 10am the next morning. She had already had breakfast and worked out and was debating going to ballet just to practice a new routine. She was on the verge of heading over to Mercedes to help her get ready just for something to do when her phone rang. She picked it up, her heart racing when the name <em>Jesse <em>flashed on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice a much higher pitch than she would have liked.

"Rachel," came the reply of a voice she hated to admit still haunted her from time to time. "How are you?"

"Fine, not that you really care," she snapped, the memory of what had transpired still on her mind from the previous year.

"Of course I care," Jesse said. "I'm sorry for what happened last year. I know it was a dick move on my part. And I should have stood up to my team, because contrary to what you've probably been thinking, I did care about you. I do." The words were just what she had been hoping to hear from him, but she wasn't sure if she could believe him.

It took her a moment but eventually the words came out, soft and quiet. "How am I supposed to believe you?"

"I guess there's no real way to," he answered honestly. "But I know today is McKinley's prom and if you'd let me, I'd love to fly in and take you. Make it up to you for all the things I should have done a year ago." She bit her lip-it was 10:08 according to the clock on the stove, and if she called her hairdresser she was sure they would squeeze her in for an appointment. Dress shopping would be disastrous, but there were always tons of dresses she already owned. And it wasn't like he was asking her to get back together, he just wanted to fly across the country from UCLA to take her to prom.

No one would be a better dancer than him, that was certain.

"Really?" she finally asked, because she was aware-in the back of her mind at least-that this could all be a set up. That she could spend all day getting ready only to spend all night waiting for him to arrive while he was in California, laughing at how he could _still _get Rachel Berry, future star in the making, to do whatever he wanted.

"I promise," he told her, and she felt the squirm in her stomach she often associated with Jesse. The one that told her how wrong he was for her, the one she ignored every time he was even brought up.

"You better not break my heart again Jesse St. James," she agreed, and he laughed.

"I promise I won't. I'll be at your house to pick you up at 7pm. Be ready gorgeous," he told her before hanging up. She stood there, pausing for a minute to soak in what had just happened before realizing just how much she had to do.

"Fuck," she whispered, surprised at her own vulgarity, but Jesse was always one to make her do the unexpected. She shot off a text to Kurt and Mercedes that she was attending prom before calling her hairdresser.

She had a busy day ahead of her.

After managing to find the _perfect _dress-one of a few left at a boutique at a mall an hour away, a short yellow one with a satin bow and ribbon-she practically flew to her hair dressers. The atmosphere was bubbly and happy, girls from all around the area getting ready for prom. She supposed she didn't _really _need to go to a salon to get pampered, but it was nice to have someone else curling her hair perfectly and make sure her nails were the perfect length. It was one less thing to stress out about, and she was stressing to the max about Jesse coming back to Ohio just for her.

She was slipping into her heels that perfectly matched her dress when her phone went off. It was a single text, _can't wait to see you tonight, glad you decided to come :) _from Blaine, and she smiled at the thought. Her and Blaine had become relatively good friends, even after their kisses. She was glad Kurt had found someone as wonderful as Blaine, feeling only a little envious that Blaine had decided he was in fact gay. She put her phone in her tiny clutch with her credit card and lip stick, picking it up and glancing at the clock. It glared at her, 5:48, and her stomach did a flip flop before she headed down the stairs.

"You look marvelous Bear," one of her dads said, the other taking her in a deep hug. They had moved their reservations to an hour later to see her off, promising to take lots of pictures to both humiliate her and build up her confidence. She glanced at herself in the mirror they had in their front hall, she did look great-even she had to admit it. She only hoped that Jesse would arrive and think the same.

"This is the boy you dated last spring, right?" her other dad asked, and she nodded, biting her lip. She knew she shouldn't, and that it was a bad habit she desperately needed to break, but she was nervous. "Is he in college now?"

"Yes," she answered, staring out the peep hole to stare into her driveway, waiting to see Jesse's familiar black Range Rover. "He goes to UCLA. For acting I believe."

Her fathers continued talking, veering into where they thought their darling daughter would end up when she finally went to college while Rachel continued waiting.

When his car pulled up, she visibly let out a deep breathe. "He's here," she exclaimed, backing away from the door and making sure her dress and hair fell perfectly. The doorbell rang, and she nodded towards one of her dads who quickly ran to answer it.

"Mr. Berry!" Jesse greeted with a grin, shaking his hand. "How nice to see you again," he charmed, her other dad moving closer to the door to shake Jesse's hand.

"Welcome, come in, come in," they said as they ushered him into the house. Rachel practically stopped breathing for a moment-college had certainly done Jesse well. His hair was a little lighter, his shoulders a little broader. He was wearing a grey tux and a green tie. He winked at her, walking over to kiss her on the cheek.

"I brought extra's in the car," he told her. "I wasn't sure what color your dress would be."

She grinned, almost shy. "You look great," she told him, slightly embarrassed as her father took a snapshot of their reunion.

"Not half as wonderful as you," he promised, wrapping an arm around her hip and pulling her close, smiling as her dad took another pictures. She blushed, looking up at him. He was back, and he was hers. At least for the night.

And if he wanted to be hers longer than that, she decided she wouldn't mind.

* * *

><p>They went to a small place just outside of town for dinner-Breadstix was packed, and Rachel quickly discovered she didn't really want to share Jesse with anyone. He told her all about college-performing for bigger crowds, beating seniors to parts they had waited years for-"Well, you're incredibly talented," she reasoned and he agreed. He asked her about New Directions, how they had beat the Warbler's and Aurel Intensity at regionals, what their plans were for Nationals. It was almost like last year, the easy talk of their talents and abilities, and Rachel found herself completely smitten once more before he even asked for the check.<p>

They headed out to the car, her hand captured in his, when he stopped and pulled her to him. "I've missed you Rachel," he murmured, kissing her quickly and softly.

"I've missed you too," she breathed once they parted, her eyes now smiling as large as her mouth was, blushing slightly again as he opened her car door, letting her inside.

As they drove back to Lima for the dance, Jesse's hand rested on her knee, and they sat in comfortable silence. She had been waiting for Finn, waiting for him to come back to her and she would finally lose her virginity to him, but when Jesse turned his head to check oncoming traffic from the right, he grinned at Rachel and she knew that she was going to have a magical, and quite traditional, prom night. Dancing, laughing, and her official transformation from girl to woman. And Jesse would be the one to do it.

She grinned at him even more now, comfortable with her decision. She might not have been ready before, but a lot had changed in a year.

And, after all, if her and Finn ever did get back together-though the desire for that was draining the longer she was with Jesse-it would just mean she had evened the playing field.

* * *

><p>The prom committee had tried their best, but even with decorations and a DJ Rachel still crinkled her nose in disgust as they walked into the gym. Jesse squeezed her hand as she scanned the crowd-no one was really dancing yet, and she was sure Kurt wanted to make a fashionably late entrance, but she was hoping she could find anyone she knew.<p>

"Is that Tina with Mike?" Jesse said, pointing to a relatively empty table where the couple was sitting. Rachel was so used to them dating that she forgot Jesse didn't know about that.

"Oh, yeah, let's go say hi," she suggested and he nodded.

"I thought she was dating-what's his name, Artie?" Jesse inquired, and Rachel chuckled a little.

"It's been a very long year St. James," she said, passing by a large group of Cheerio's and football players. "Artie is now dating Brittany, Mike and Tina got together over last summer, Finn and Quinn are back together, Santana was dating-"

"Dating?"

"-this new kid Sam, though I think that's over. And Puck has been dating Lauren Zizes-The one who helped me bug the choir room last year? She joined Glee because we needed another person once Kurt transfered to Dalton-" Jesse looked even more confused now, trying to interject a question about that, but Rachel kept prattling on, even though they had now reached Mike and Tina's table. They were listening in, nodding as she talked. "-Mercedes has a date tonight with some boy from Dalton that Kurt's boyfriend set her up with, and I think that's it," she finished. Jesse sat in a stunned silence for a minute.

"Sounds like I missed a lot," he finally said, and Tina laughed. Jesse shook Mike's hand after Rachel gave a quick re-introduction, affirming that everything was okay now.

"Is anyone else here?" she asked, glancing around for Kurt and Blaine. She was in a fantastic mood now, and wanted to apologize for her rudeness the previous night to Kurt. Plus, she had been slightly distant to Blaine and felt bad about it. _Tonight's about Jesse though_, she reminded herself, snapping back to him.

"Not that we've seen. Quinn and Finn are in the mix of Cheerio's and football players, but that's about it," Mike offered, and Rachel chewed the inside of her mouth.

"Do you want to dance?" Jesse asked softly, and she nodded, letting herself be whisked away to the dance floor.

* * *

><p>Blaine had spotted her the minute they entered, Kurt adjusting his tie as they walked in. She was dancing and laughing with someone Blaine vaguely remembered from previous competitions against the Warbler's, and assumed this must be the infamous Jesse St. James that Kurt had spent the better part of an hour explaining after he hung up the phone the previous night. He felt a twinge of jealousy before Kurt grabbed his hand, bringing him back to the present-back to reality. <em>It doesn't do well to dwell on those we can't have<em>, Blaine reminded himself, walking over to where most of the New Directions were now sitting.

Mercedes and William had hit it off well enough that Blaine wasn't worried about awkwardness between the four of them, and the car ride over from the Hummel-Hudson house was relatively pain free. But for some reason he couldn't keep his mind on Kurt, it kept wandering to a certain brunette in a short yellow dress. He supposed this was because he hadn't really ever seen her this happy-aside from their one true date, and when they won Regionals. Or maybe it was because he had been trying to avoid her as much as he could since he started dating Kurt. They were moving relatively slow, Blaine knew Kurt didn't want things to get too intense, and he didn't blame him. And while Blaine would have liked to drag him to a coat closet and ravish him, he settled for drawing circles on Kurt's thumb, eliciting a small smile from his boyfriend.

"You look great!" Brittany gawked, looking insanely attractive herself in a light blue dress that was probably showing more skin than the school would really prefer, much to the delight of Artie and most of the student population. Santana looked like she was about to rip Artie's hands from his body from her spot with Karofsky-a person Blaine would really like to see less of.

"Why don't we go dance?" Blaine asked, antsy to get closer to Rachel, to move his legs, to do anything but stand around the table with people he felt were sure could see right through him. Santana especially-she made Blaine nervous when he had a secret. Kurt dragged Blaine to the dance floor though, some loud rap song now playing as the rest of the students were starting to pile on, everyone's body's dancing to the music-some in time, some not. (Finn was a large portion of the not.)

Blaine started to let loose, dancing along to the music with Kurt, swaying their hips together with a quick wink before he was pushed out of the way by a small hand. "I need to dance with Kurt for a minute," Rachel's voice yelled, and Blaine nodded, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air.

"I'll, um, go get drinks," he offered, and Kurt and Rachel nodded as they danced. He watched them for a minute, her leaning up to whisper something in his ear, him nodding. He felt weirdly emotional, like he had such a strong tie to both that he didn't know what to do. "Drinks," he reminded as he headed towards the punch, trying to ignore the weird tingly feeling he still felt on his arm where Rachel had touched him._ No Blaine_, he thought to himself as his mind started to wander. _You love Kurt. _

_You love Kurt and only Kurt. _

He would just have to repeat it until it was the truth.


	2. As Long As You're Mine

As the night carried on, Rachel grew more and more certain that Jesse was the one she wanted to be with. Finn and Quinn were announced Prom King and Queen, and she was genuine with her congratulations as skeptical as Quinn looked. Jesse was being charming, holding her hand, dancing close with her, singing softly in her ear. It was the magical prom Rachel had always dreamed of one day attending.

Until it just wasn't.

Jesse had gone to get something to drink, leaving Rachel with Blaine on the dance floor. "Are you having fun?" Rachel asked, and Blaine nodded as they swayed together.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. He had been weirdly quiet all night, considering that it was normally hard to get a word in edgewise when he was around-though Rachel managed perfectly fine. She looked at him closely now, seeing just the hint of sadness he was trying to keep underneath.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck to ask him quieter, relaxing as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm fine," he replied, but it was with the same distant and sad tone.

"Anderson," she scolded, but he just shrugged. "Tell me."

"It's nothing Rachel, don't worry about it." They danced slowly, completely out of tune to the fast song playing around them, for a few minutes. Rachel felt comfortable in Blaine's arms, his body stockier than Jesse's, shorter than Finn's. He had even let his hair be almost natural-at least, not nearly as gelled down as normal-and she found herself playing with a few loose curls at the nape of his neck. It was something she had always known Jesse to love, and was curious about Blaine's reaction.

He let her play in his hair for a moment or two before backing away, his eyes averting to anything that wasn't her face. "I should go find Kurt," he muttered, heading off the dance floor unceremoniously. Rachel stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what was wrong with Blaine. But then she spotted Jesse and reminded herself that tonight was about her and him-Blaine would still be around Monday, and she could wait until then to attack him and figure out what was going on.

She headed over, only to watch Jesse walk over to where Kurt and Blaine were talking. Kurt turned his attention to Jesse, smiling thinly. "Thanks for coming for her," she heard Kurt say. "We figured anything was better than her moping-even if it meant bringing you back."

Jesse snorted, and Rachel moved closer while trying to avoid being seen. "It's fine, I had to come back to Ohio anyways," he replied. Rachel was momentarily confused, though she realized it all made sense. How else would Jesse have known it was Rachel's prom? Her happiness ebbed a little at the realization that Jesse wasn't there because he was spending endless nights thinking about her, but at least he was here.

"It's nice to see you're not being as big a dick as last year," Kurt said nonchalantly. Rachel was surprised to see that he was looking out for her, which shouldn't have been that surprising since they were now friends.

"Last year I made an error in judgment. And I told her that. Besides, the more charming I am, the closer I am to getting into that incredibly taunting dress of hers," he chuckled, and she saw both Kurt and Blaine turn to glare at him. "What? It's not like I came because I was _bored_. I have a girlfriend and a life back at UCLA. I came because Berry was the one girl who was still a virgin when we broke up," Jesse smirked. She could feel the heat of humiliation wave over her, the burning feeling behind her eyes that meant she was about to cry.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Blaine asked in disgust, though not to Jesse. "This is the guy you thought was a good match for Rachel?"

"In my defense," Kurt said tersely, his glare steady on Jesse, "I was apparently blinded by Karofsky's sudden change. I thought maybe if that ignominious could change, certainly Jesse St. James could." Jesse shrugged, walking away from them now, but Rachel stood planted where she was. "Besides, he was really the only guy that could put up with her. Finn gets distracted easily, and you're gay. Plus, he can sing," Kurt admitted. Rachel noticed Blaine clenching his fist, and she was sure she was going to throw up or start crying. _I will not cry on prom night_, she declared decisively in her head.

She strode over to where Jesse was, pasting a smile on her face. "Hi!" she said innocently, hoping the hurt wasn't too visible in her eyes.

He leaned down to kiss her, and she let him. She was going to get her own payback, and let him think she had no idea about his deception. She could be manipulative. She could hurt him before admitting that he had hurt her once again. When they broke apart he could tell he felt confident he had her where he wanted, his grin full of victory. "Let's go back to my place," she whispered to him, taking his hand. She saw Blaine and Kurt, still glaring at Jesse. She winked at them, hoping they would realize she knew what was happening.

Jesse grinned even larger now. "After you," he said, ushering her to the door. They didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone as they walked back to his car, Rachel devising what was sure to be a sure fire plan as they exited the building.

* * *

><p>"You're just going to let her leave with him? Kurt, this could destroy her!" Blaine knew he was yelling now, causing a scene at Kurt's prom, but he couldn't very well just <em>let <em>Rachel walk into that smug St. James trap, she would be devastated when he didn't call, didn't come back for her. When she found out exactly why Jesse was there in the first place.

"Rachel will figure it out," Kurt tried to reason, but Blaine could see a relative amount of guilt behind his eyes. "Please, can we stop worrying about her for five minutes and enjoy ourselves?"

"She is your friend, _our friend_, and you can do something to stop this. But you'd rather stay here dancing to shitty music?"

"Yes," Kurt responded sharply. "I would rather my boyfriend be more concerned about _me _than Rachel Berry!"

"She's our friend!" Blaine argued back.

"God, if you say _friend _one more time! You think I can't tell that you have feelings for her? That I haven't figured out that, apparently, your dabble into experimentation isn't really over?" Blaine stared blankly, feeling guilt sink in. He hadn't wanted Kurt to know, wanted to just avoid it until eventually it went away. "I don't understand what _hold _she has over all of you guys, but apparently as long as she's around I'll never really have a guys full attention."

"Kurt, that's not true, I love _you_, I'm here with you-"

"If I hadn't called Jesse, would you have offered to come with Rachel yourself?" Kurt asked bluntly, and Blaine stopped in his tracks. He had never lied to Kurt. He didn't want to start now. But he knew the truth-that he had been thinking about it all along, wondering what life would be like if he had come as Rachel's prom date instead of Kurt's-would hurt Kurt even more. "Blaine?" Kurt pressed, his arms across his chest while he waited for an answer.

"The idea may have crossed my mind," Blaine finally half admitted. "But I only wanted to come with you!" he proclaimed, trying to grab one of Kurt's hands. Kurt stepped back, his eyes full of distrust-_great job Anderson_.

"Go," was all Kurt said.

"Please, Kurt, we can work through this-"

"No. Once again, Berry wins the guy. Go be the hero, save her from Jesse. You know you want to," Kurt replied snidely.

"But I want us to be okay," Blaine had no idea how they had gotten to this point. He had wanted to save Rachel, yes, but not at the expense of losing Kurt.

"I don't see us being _okay_ anymore," Kurt retorted, spinning on his heel dramatically and walking away. Blaine watched him leave, calling after him a few times, before realizing that at this point, Jesse could have brought Rachel anywhere.

"Shit!" Blaine exploded. "Fuck!" He ran towards the parking lot, locating his car and jumping in. He had no idea where they would be, but he hoped beyond reason that it was Rachel's house, since it was the only place he could actually locate.

* * *

><p>Rachel and Jesse pulled up to her house. Her dads had informed her that they would be headed to Columbus for dinner and a show and would just end up spending the night in a hotel there, so she knew the house was empty. She was nervous and briefly went back and forth between actually going through with it and having sex with him-after all, this seemed like her last shot for a long time-and her plan to further humiliate him.<p>

Jesse opened her car door and let her slid out, holding her hand as they walked up the steps. It pained her to realize that these actions were carefully planned, goal in mind, not just something he did because he was a gentleman. _Not like Blaine_, she thought suddenly, the memory of him opening doors and holding her hand on their date rushing through her. He had been a gentleman without any intention of going anywhere near Rachel Berry's bedroom, almost like it was second nature to him. She smiled to herself, supposing it probably was just natural for him.

She led Jesse inside her house, suddenly nervous. She knew she wasn't actually going to sleep with Jesse, but she wasn't really sure how to make him think that she was. "Do you want a drink?" she offered timidly, and he laughed and shook his head no, grabbing her by the waist and pulling him to him.

"I only want you," he whispered, and Rachel realized she would have been floored by that line a half hour ago. Instead she barely registered it as their lips moved together once more, his hands trailing up and down her back, his body moving hers closer to the wall. He didn't bother asking if this was where she was planning on heading, his mouth trailing kisses down her neck and across her shoulder. The idea that Rachel might not have wanted to have sex with him didn't even seem to cross his mind, and that was frustrating all the more.

She lifted a shaky hand, unbuttoning his shirt. She was nervous, and he could tell. He slid his coat and shirt off, letting them hit the floor as he picked her up effortlessly, carrying her up the stairs. "How romantic," she said, her hand moving up and down his torso as he brought her into her bedroom, laying her down carefully on the bed.

"Jesse St. James knows romance," he grinned, his mouth attacking her once more. She slid her hand down to his belt buckle, a defense prepared if he tried to get her naked first-_I think i would feel more comfortable if you were already naked, I wouldn't feel as exposed_-knowing his ego would boost more than it needed to. Instead she heard a crash from downstairs, and what sounded a lot like footsteps running up the stairs. _My dads would not just barge in the room right now, this is even more humiliating._

* * *

><p>Blaine pulled up and barely stopped the car before running into the house, the front door thankfully left unlocked. He raced up the stairs, knocking something over when he almost slid on Jesse's shirt-<em>fuck<em>-but was hoping to get there in order to effectively cock block in time.

"Rachel!" he yelled when he opened the door, his eyes frantic as Rachel scootched up on her bed, Jesse looking thoroughly irritated.

"I told you it wasn't your dads," he informed her.

"Blaine, what are you doing here?" she asked, and he couldn't place the tone in her voice as she looked back and forth between him and Jesse.

"You can't sleep with him, Rachel, don't do it," Blaine gasped out. He hadn't exactly been super athletic since joining Dalton, and rushing as much as he did had left him out of breathe.

"Aw, look, he's come to save you," Jesse smirked. "We're fine here, you can go." Blaine ignored his dismissal, and he was glad to see Rachel glare at him.

"Blaine, it's okay, I promise," she said earnestly as she turned her gaze off of Jesse.

"No, but Rachel-he's using you. He has a girlfriend. He just wanted to get you into bed-"

"And I have, pretty successfully mind you, now if you would just get the fuck out-"

"-he's just going to hurt you Rachel," Blaine finished, ignoring Jesse completely. Rachel didn't seem shocked by the news, and it registered in him that maybe she knew all that and was going to sleep with him anyways. "Please, don't do this," he whispered.

"I don't see what the big deal is anyways, aren't you gay?" Blaine took a deep breath, the urge to punch Jesse straight in the face was becoming very tempting.

"Rachel is still my friend," he said simply.

Jesse laughed. "Right, the friend excuse, okay. Now, can you leave?"

"Rachel, please, just-"

"She isn't going to kick me out, so leave her be."

Blaine saw Rachel take a deep breath and get off the bed. "This isn't how this was supposed to go," she said, walking over to Blaine. "I knew," she said quietly, and Jesse looked even more smug from his place on the bed.

"And you were still going to sleep with him?" Blaine asked her incredulously. Rachel glanced at Jesse before turning her attention back to Blaine.

"No," she finally admitted, and now Jesse looked more interested in their conversation. "I over heard what he said to you and Kurt, and I didn't want to cause a scene at the school-the last thing I wanted was for everyone to see how I was just being used," she chuckled humorously. Instinctively, Blaine ran a hand up and down her arm to comfort her. "I was just going to let him think I was going to sleep with him, humiliate him like he humiliated me." Jesse snorted as he looked around for his clothes, apparently forgetting that they were downstairs.

"Well, this has been great. See you around Berry," he winked as he exited the room, and that was the final straw. Before Blaine was 100% aware of what he was doing, he had said Jesse's name and punched him, startling himself as much as Jesse. Rachel screamed-dramatic was her main state of life-and Jesse looked like he might hit back. Blaine stood his ground, he wasn't going to back down. Jesse was a dick, and there was only so much anger he could hold back.

"Get out," Blaine threatened, though he really hoped he wouldn't have to punch him again. His hand was in a lot more pain that he would have ever expected. Jesse looked around for a minute, one hand covering the eye Blaine had managed to make contact with, but walked out of the room without another word.

* * *

><p>Rachel had no idea how the past five minutes had unfolded like that. One moment she was getting ready to embarrass Jesse, the next Blaine was punching him in the face. They stood next to each other in silence until they heard Jesse's car pull out, and she let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she had been holding back. "Thanks," she finally said, and Blaine turned to look at her.<p>

"That guy is a dick," Blaine said, flexing his hand. "How did you ever date him?"

She smiled softly, examining his hand. She didn't really know what to do except maybe rinse it under cold water, so she led him to her bathroom. "He wasn't always that way," she answered finally after she forced his hand under the sink, massaging it gently. "Well, I mean I guess he was. But he had appeared sweet, and charming. And I thought he cared about me," she shrugged. She let him rinse his own hand for a moment, finding a soft towel to wrap it up in. "But, I guess in the end he was just Jesse. Out for himself. I should have known better."

Blaine gave her a small smile. "Well, you wanted to think the best of him. That's probably why you and Finn are so on again off again." Rachel nodded, giving it some thought.

"Probably." They fell into a comfortable silence while Rachel tried to figure out how to ask why Blaine was there without sounding too blunt.

"So why are you-"

"I broke up with Kurt," he said at the same time. She stared at him, his opened wide.

"Oh," was all she could say. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there any particular reason why? Do you, um, want to talk about it?"

"Well," he chortled, "it's because of you actually. Because I wanted to make sure you didn't make a mistake with Jesse, because I was worried."

"You're my friend," Rachel scoffed, trying to hold on to that one bit of reasoning. Because if he did it for other reasons, well, she wasn't sure if she could deal with those right now.

"Right, well, yes." Their silence wasn't as comfortable this time, Blaine rubbed the back of his neck. She focused on his tux, he really did manage to clean up well. And if she was honest with herself, she was more devastated by his admittance that he was gay than she'd like to admit. Because no one wants to be the girl in love with a gay man-it's even more impractical than Kurt's crush on Finn the previous year.

"So, I should probably just rest now," Rachel said finally, and Blaine nodded, flexing his hand again. "Are you sure your hand is okay?"

"It hurt's a little," he said, staring her dead in the eye. "But I suppose it'll be fine." She nodded, trying not to acknowledge the double meaning laced in his words. _You're over thinking things again Rach, your imagination is in over drive. He loves Kurt. _Except, Kurt and him had broken up. Because of her. They walked down the stairs together, her mind flipping back and forth. There was so much that had happened, she wasn't even sure about anything anymore.

"Good night," he said as they reached the door, leaning over to kiss her cheek. She blushed briefly, but smiled and watched as he got into his car.

She had a lot to think about.

* * *

><p>She tossed and turned all night. Dreams of Blaine coming to her defense filtered in and out the whole night, but she tried to push the thought out of her mind. When she awoke the next morning she felt completely unrested. She was confused and hurt and confused some more. She had thought sleeping would help, but it only seemed to make it worse.<p>

She spent the next week in an even bigger funk than the previous one. Kurt explained to everyone what happened, and Finn had tried to offer her condolence. She had turned him down, pointing out that his girlfriend was waiting for him to walk her to class, promising that she was fine. Even Noah had come up and asked if she needed anything. "Making out is off the table, now that Zizes and I are official, but I'm sure she won't get pissed if I give you a hug, right?" She smiled and thanked him for his kindness, but they all thought _Jesse _was the problem.

If only he was.

She had tried to talk to Kurt, to figure out where he stood with Blaine. All she got was a short "Things just don't work sometimes," before he slammed his locker shut and walked down the hall. She felt bad for Kurt, but he would understand if she tried to figure out what was between her and Blaine. Surely, in time, he would accept it.

_If there's even anything there_. She still didn't know where he stood, trying to figure out her own head before calling him. But one day turned into 9 and suddenly Rachel didn't know why she was hiding. She was going to find Blaine and tell him how she felt.

* * *

><p>"You're Rachel Berry," a voice came from behind her as she ordered her tea. She turned around to see someone in a Dalton uniform, someone undoubtably from the Warbler's.<p>

"Yes," she replied, hoping maybe they could lead her to Blaine.

"Wes, I'm on the Warbler's with Blaine, it's great to meet you," he shook her hand and she repeated the sentiments. "I have to say, you guys were amazing at Regional's. I'm amazed we ever even stood a chance!"

Rachel laughed good naturedly . "I was actually looking for Blaine," she confided once the barista handed her her beverage. Wes smirked at her.

"Yes, well I'm glad one of you finally is. He's probably back at Dalton practicing in the Warbler's room. Do you need directions?" She shook her head no, feeling nervous.

"I can find it. Thanks," she smiled, heading out the door.

* * *

><p>Dalton was not hard to find. She had been there with Kurt once or twice, so she remembered the way well. Inside the school, however, was a very different story. She had a couple stranglers direct her, one boy kind enough to bring her straight to the room and let her in. She thanked him as she stepped in, Blaine sitting on the floor-pieces of sheet music spread around him and a guitar on the couch behind him. "Blaine?" she said, and his neck snapped towards her.<p>

"Rachel?" he questioned, standing to come greet her. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought maybe we should talk. Or, I should talk." Blaine didn't make any indication that this was a good idea, standing a few feet away from her. She cleared her throat, before launching into the speech she had planned on the drive over. "I know that when we kissed, you said you were gay. And I totally get that. Except we have some kind of chemistry, and I don't know if maybe it's just me misreading signs-we all know it wouldn't be the first time that happened-or if it's because there's something real between us, but I think I want to try and see."

Blaine was quiet, but that was fine. Rachel wasn't done yet. She took a step closer to him, her voice lowering as she moved nearer. "The thing is, I just tried to ignore it. Because you were dating Kurt. Except, now you're not. And you came to save me, and that's probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Rachel-"

"I know," she interrupted before he could get started. "I get how weird this is. And that it makes no sense. But, I mean, aren't there countless love stories based on how things don't make sense?" She was practically pleading now, she could hear it in her voice. She hadn't realized it until she saw him, but she needed him to say that he wanted her back. She needed him to say that he wanted to try every bit as much as she did. She stood there, a foot in front of him, waiting for him to speak and say anything.

"This is crazy," he laughed. "Because every thing you're saying is all I've been thinking for the past week and a half." Her heart started racing again, faster this time as he took a step towards her. "This is probably the stupidest and most dangerous thing I've ever done, giving you my heart Rachel Berry."

"And I could have said the same," she confided, smiling. Their first few kisses were nothing incredible. Drunk and sloppy, a sneak attack in the middle of a coffee shop. But this time when she stood on her toes to kiss him, she felt those fireworks Finn mentioned when he kissed Quinn. And from the way Blaine was pulling her face closer to his own, she was sure he felt them too.


End file.
